Clean-Up Of Hydrocloric Acid Spill In Kingfisher County

Contractors worked through the weekend to clean up an acid spill at an oil and gas site near Hennessey in Kingfisher County. About 20,000 gallons of hydrochloric acid leaked from a tank into an alfalfa field last week, killing crops over a 500-foot long path.

”The area of contamination was bermed before the rains came to prevent anything from getting into the creek," said Corporation Commission spokesman Matt Skinner. "And the water then that resulted from when the rains came, that has been pumped off and taken off site.”

To finish the cleanup, contractors will likely have to dig up and haul off 16,000 yards of contaminated soil. Hydrochloric acid is routinely used in oil and gas production. The cause of the spill and the role played by the oil and gas operator, Blake Production, is still under investigation.

------------------------------------------

StateImpact Oklahoma is a partnership among Oklahoma’s public radio stations and relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond. Donate online.